'Doing' at Barung - Barung Landcare

It’s seed collecting time
NURSERY NOTES By Wayne Webb
Many of our rainforest species are seeding prolifically this year,
no doubt in anticipation of the good season. We have been busy
collecting as time permits, as well as receiving donations from
members.
Thank you to all those who have brought in seed. I tend to take
my predecessors’ view of not thanking particular donors by name
in the newsletter for fear of offending those I forget. I feel, however
that a special ‘thank you’ must go to Trevor Carbury. Trevor has a
grazing property at Elaman Creek with significant areas of remnant
rainforest vegetation from which he regularly brings in good
quantities of seeds. Recently he has brought in bags of foambark
(Jagera pseudorhus). Jagera is very attractive tree which performs
well on tougher sites, but unfortunately the seed capsules are
covered in very irritant hairs, making seed collecting and cleaning
a rather unpleasant task.
We have also received good quantities of seed from Diana
O’Connor of Flaxton (Synoum glandulosum and Mischarytera
lautereriana), and from Jill Morris and Richard Dent from the
Book Farm at Reesville (Castanospora alphandii and Syzygium
hodgkinsoniae).
Greg’s fortnightly seed collecting walks have also been yielding
greater amounts and variety of seed. Our propagation shed is now
bulging at the seams, but while the seed is there we have to collect
and sow it. Seed of many rainforest species cannot stored, and
may not be available next year.
Seed to look out for in the coming months include Guioa
semiglauca and Mallotus philippensis (red kamala). Both are
important species for revegetation, but have been in very short
supply in the nursery. Guioa seed tends to be taken by birds as
soon as the capsules open, but if bunches are picked and brought
in when some (say 10%) of the capsules are open, they should
continue to open over the next week or so. We can go over the
bunches each day and process any seeds ready. With Mallotus
seed you also need to wait until some of the capsules are opening
before harvesting. Unfortunately many red kamala trees produce
seeds without embryos. It is therefore worthwhile cutting a sample
of seeds from a tree before collecting. The seeds are small (approx
2 mm diameter), round and black. When cut through they should
be filled with a white embryo. Good seeds will also sink if placed
in water. Anybody wishing to collect seed can contact us at the
nursery for more details.
With all the seed about this year we have lots of exciting species
coming available in the nursery. And with all the storms about,
what better time to plant? How about giving your friends and
family a Barung Gift Voucher this Christmas and they can help
reinstate some of our beautiful Blackall Range rainforest.
Barung has obtained a small equipment grant from the Caloundra
City Council to have two additional potting/seed-cleaning tables
and a weeding bench manufactured. These will make life easier
in the nursery because we will be able to leave seeds spread out
awaiting processing and still have room for our vollies to pot up
tubestock. A big thanks to the Council.
Cali and I recently spent a day travelling around Maleny with
Greg Smyrell and Jon Burgess, a soil scientist with DNR&M,
looking at our local Blackall Range soils, their derivation,
characteristics and related vegetation. Many of our local plants
have a definite preference for particular soils and this needs to be
taken into account when selecting species for both reveg plantings
and gardens.
12
Decaspermum humile
(syn. D. parvifolium, D. paniculatum)
SILKY MYRTLE Family: Myrtaceae
PLANT PROFILE by Wayne Webb
Silky myrtle is a beautiful shrub which is very suitable for mixed
screen plantings because it remains bushy to the ground. As a
garden plant silky myrtle will grow as a shrub to around 4 m. In
remanent vegetation it is often seen as a 3-4 m shrub up to a small
tree of 8 m. Alex Floyd, however, reports in his book Rainforest
Trees that it may grow to a tree of 25 m in height and a stem
diameter of 45 cm. (I don’t think there is much risk of it growing
this big in your back garden.)
When in flower, silky myrtle is covered in fluffy white (or pale
mauve) perfumed blossom. Each flower is approximately 7 mm
across. Flowering time is generally reported to be autumn, although
the specimen at Barung has just had a heavy flowering in October.
This is probably due to climatic variations. Flowers are followed
by small black globular berries, 3-6 mm in diameter. Each berry
contains around ten seeds, hence the name deca (ten) - sperma
(seed). Fruit are edible and would attract small fruit-eating birds
to your garden, particularly if they have the protection of dense
neighbouring vegetation.
Leaves are simple, opposite, ovate-lanceolate and 2-5cm long by
1-2cm wide. They taper to a long fine tip. Young shoots are covered
in fine silky hairs. Leaves of flowering branchlets are much smaller
than leaves of non-flowering branchlets.
Decaspermum humile occurs mainly in drier rainforests from near
Gosford in NSW to northeastern Queensland, and northwards
through South East Asia to India. It generally occurs on shallow
stony soils of volcanic origin. Locally it occurs in the drier areas
around the edge of the range (eg Reesville) and down off the
range in places such as Elaman Creek.
Silky myrtle is easily propagated by seed, which should be cleaned
from the fruit before sowing. This is easily achieved by gently
mashing up the berries in water and floating off the flesh, leaving
the seeds in the bottom of the container. The seeds are then sown
over a propagation mix and lightly covered. Decasperma may
also be propagated by tip cuttings.
NURSERY SPECIALS –
Silky myrtle will be on special in Barung’s nursery during
December and January at $1.75 each in native tubes.
Also discounted are Bracteantha bracteata, the yellow
everlasting daisy, at $1.50 each, or 5 for $5 (while stocks
last).